Machine for making cartridge-shells.



G. A. BAILEY.

MACHINE FORMAKING CARTRIDGE SHELLS.

APPLICATION FILED 111M111, 1911.

Patented June 24, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHBET l.

WITNESSES;

0. A. BAILEY. I MACHINE FOR MAKING CARTRIDGE SHELLS.

APPLIOATION FILED JULY 11,1911.

Patented June 24, 1913.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

WITNESSES.-

A T ORNEY.

i T FFTQE.

CHARLES A. BAILEY, OF CROMWELL, CONNECTICUT.

MACHINE FOR MAKING CARTRIDGE-SHELLS.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CHARLES A. BAILEY, acitizen of the United States, and a resident of Cromwell, in the countyof Middlesex and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and ImprovedMachine for Making Cartridge-Shells, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to the class of machines for making shells usuallyformed of paper to constitute a cartridge, and especially those made foruse in shot guns and similar firearms, and the general objects of myinvention are to provide a machine of this class simple in construction,containing a minimum number of parts, and one particularly eflicient inits operation and in the character of work produced.

Other objects will appear from the following description andaccompanying illustrations in which Figure l is a view in side elevationof a machine embodying my invention, the feed lever actuating bar beingbroken off, and the fly-wheel being broken away. Fig. 2 is a plan viewof the same, the feed lever actuating bar being broken off but shown indotted lines in position when the cross-head is at the forward limit ofits play. The feed lever in this view is also shown in the positionoccupied by it when the cross head is at the forward limit of its play,the other parts being shown in this view in their natural positions withthe cross-head at its rearward limit of movement. Fig. 3 is a detailview in section through the device on plane denoted by dotted line 33 ofFig. 1. Fig. f is a detail view in vertical section through a part ofthe machine on plane passing centrally through the tube feed chute andlengthwise of the bed.

The machine herein illustrated and described and embodying in one form astructure containing my invention is intended to operate upon papertubes, cut to the required length toform a cartridge, performing suchoperations and adding such devices thereto will prepare the shell toreceive its explosive charge.

To the accompanying drawings the numeral 6 denotes the bed of themachine, con structed of any suitable material and in any desired formand upon which is mounted a driving shaft 7 operated from any suitablesource of power and having a fly-wheel 8 Specification of LettersPatent.

Application filed July 11, 19 11.

Patented June 24, 191-3.

Serial No. 638,000.

and connected as by means of a crank 9 and pitman 10 with a cross-head11. These parts may be of any well-known construction and further anddetailed description is therefore omitted herein. This cross-headcarries, projecting therefrom, a base-wad-insertingplunger 12, acap-placing-plunger 13, a heading-plunger 14 and aprimer-inserting-plunger 15, constructed and operating as morespecifically hereinafter described.

A tube feed chute 16 rises from the bed 6, which chute is of a widthsubstantially equal to'the length of a cartridge shell and of athickness substantially equal to the diameter of the tubes which lie ina horizontal position in and are fed by gravity down the chute. Thechute may be supplied from any suitable source as a fountain feed or thelike. A box 17 extends from one edge of the chute and is supportedthereby, this box being so located that the openings to be hereinafterdescribed will be in position to receive the plungers from thecross-head.

A reducing plug and base-wad-receiver 18 is mounted for reciprocatingmovement in the box 17, this receiver having a longitudinal opening 19and a lateral opening 20, the latter to receive a basewad from thebase-wad-feed-tube 21 supported to properly feed the base wads to thisreceiver.

A locking lever 22 is pivotally mounted on the chute 16 in position toengage a looking pin 23 on the wad receiver 18 and hold the latteragainst movement when the parts are in this position, a spring 2 1 beingemployed if desired to hold the lever in position. A releasing lug 25 issupported on this lever in the path of movement of a releasing cam 26secured to and carried by the cross-head 11, this cam being sopositioned that as the cross-head is moved inward the releasing lug 25is engaged and the lever raised to permit movement of the wad receiverand reducing plug 18, this movement taking place during the latter partof the inward movement of the cross-head, and being caused by engagementwith a shoulder 27 on the base-wad-inserting plunger 12.

The box 17 has a longitudinal opening 28 located directly under the wadreceiver and constituting a cap holder which is supplied with capsthrough a cap feed tube 29 secured in position to deliver the capsthrough an opening in the side of the holder, in the form shown thistube being supported at its lower end by the box 17. The opening or capholder 28 is located in line with the cap placing-plunger 13.

The bottom of the tube feed chute 16 forms a rest for the pile of tubessupported in the chute, the bottom tube being in position to be operatedupon by the heading plunger 14:. A tube holder 30 having tube receivingrecesses 31 is pivotally mounted in position to engage the paper tubesand hold them in line with the openings 19 and 28 while 7 the plungersappurtenant to. these opening are operating, these recesses beingbeveled as shown, so that if a tube or tubes should be slightly out ofregistering position with an opening or openings it or they will beforced up into the proper registering position. This holder is operatedby the movement of the heading plunger 14: in the form of mechanismherein shown, a lever 82 pivotally mounted upon a stationary part of thedevice being located with a projection 38 in the path of movement of theend of the heading plunger, this lever in its swinging movement engaginga tail 34 on the tube holder.

A carrier cylinder 35 is mounted on the base, being supported on a shaft36, mounted in suitable bearings on the base. This cylinder has dies 37to receive the tubes from the rest at the bottom of the chute 16, whichtubes are pushed into the dies in the cylinder by the action of theheading plunger 14. Each of these dies has a heading shoulder 38 againstwhich the caps are headed by the action of the end 39 of the headingplunger 14. This cylinder has a sliding movement on the shaft 36, aspring 56 forcing the cylinder in one direction. The cylinder may begiven a step by step rotation at each reciprocating movement of thecross-head 11, in the construction herein shown a feed lever 40pivotally mounted on the base being actuated by afeed-lever-actuating-bar 11 secured to said cross-head, a cam projection12 on the lever being engaged by a pin 43 on the bar. The end of thefeed lever engages a ratchet 14 secured to the carrier cylinder, in theform shown this ratchet being square, and the four corners serving asthe teeth against which the feed lever 10 strikes in its reciprocatingmovement. A spring 45 is located under the feed lever 10 which is soloosely mounted on its pivot that it may be slightly raised by theaction of the spring in order to cause the lever to engage eachsucceeding tooth or corner on the ratchet and thus rotate the cylinder.

A holding arm 46 is spring pressed toward the cylinder, its end being inposition to engage holding recesses 47 in the edge of the cylinder, arecess being provided appurtenant to each of the openings in. thecylinder and the pressure of the arm being such that a force to rotatethe cylinder will release it from engagement with this recess.

A stationary head 18 is mounted on the base and contains a heading anvil49, a priming anvil 50, a starting plunger 51, and an ejecting plunger52.

A primer chute 53 is suitably located to receive primers, which at theproper mom nt are pushed into an opening previously formed in the centerof the cap, these primers being so inserted in the opening by theplunger 15 secured to the cross-head 11.

In the operation of the device, assuming a pile of tubes to be locatedin the chute 16, and the bottom tube and the neXt to the bottom tubehaving received its initial operation, a certain tube is acted upon asfollows; this description applying to the third tube from the bottom ofthe chute :As the crosshead moves forward the base-wad-insertingplungerpasses into the opening 19 engaging a wad and carrying it along saidopening which is smaller in size than the opening in the paper tube, sothat the wad is reduced and easily enters said opening, the base wadreceiver at this time being held against movement by the locking lever22. As the cross-head approaches the end of this initial movement thereleasing cam 26 on said head engages the lug 25 raising the lever 22from engagement with the locking pin 23, at which moment the shoulder 27on the plunger 12 engages the end of the reducing plug moving it inwardwhen its beveled mouth 55 engages the end of the paper tube reduc ing itslightly so that the cap may be easily placed in position. In thisreciprocating movement of the cross-head it will be understood thatcertain operations are being performed on the two tubes underlying theone to which the above description applies, the bottom tube being pushedfrom the bottom of the chute. In the initial movement of the cross-headthe tube holder 30 has been operated to engage the tube ref-erred to aswell as the one directly underneath, moving them into registeringpositions with their openings and tightly holding them while theoperations are taking place. As the cross; head moves backward this tubeholder is released and the pile of paper tubes move downward, this beingallowed by reason of the removal of the tube from the bottom of thechute as above described. The crosshead now again moving forward thecapplacing-plunger 13 enters the cap holder 28, engages a cap and pushesit on to the end of the paper tube, and the crosshead moving backwardthe pile again moves down as above described. The cross-head new againmoving forward a centering or piercing pin 57 on the heading plunger 14strikes the tube, moving it from the bottom of the pile into theregistering opening or die in the carrier cylinder 35 until the end ofthe heading plunger strikes the side of the cylinder outside of therecess forming the heading shoulder 38. The paper tube with the partsafiixed thereto and the cylinder now move forward simultaneously untilthe wad strikes the heading anvil 49 which has a recess 58 to receivethe centering and piercing pin 57 which now fully enters an openingwhich may have been previously formed in the cap and base wad in case ithad notentered such opening before, or makes such opening in case it hasnot been so formed. The movement of the paper tube having thus beenarrested by the anvil the plunger and cylinder continue to move forwarduntil the wad strikes the end of the anvil, and the movement of thecross-head is so regulated that a slight movement of the plunger willoccur after the parts have been so brought together, with a result thatthe base wad will give enough to allow this movement and the edges ofthe cap will be forced out into the recess between the end of theplunger and the heading shoulder in the cylinder, thus forming a lip orflange on the cap. The cross-head now moves back operating the feedlever by the mechanism hereinabove described and moving the cylinderforward a one step movement, and bringing the flanged shell intoposition registering with the opening in the primer feed tube 53 and inline with the primer-inserting-plunger 15. As the cross-head now movesforward the primer-inserting-plunger pushes a primer into the openingwhich has been formed, and at the next step forward of the cylindercaused by the reciprocating move ment of the cross-head, the startingplunger 51 enters the shell moving it slightly from its place, and atthe next step movement forward of the cylinder the ejecting plunger 52enters the shell and completely removes it, and at the next step forwardthe vacant recess is in position to receive another cartridge from thebase of the tube feed chute.

It will be understood that the several plungers and anvils are ofsuitable length to properly perform the work required of them ashereinbefore described.

\Vhile I have shown a preferred form of mechanism for carrying myinvention into effect, the construction herein illustrated and describedmay be departed from to a greater or lesser extent and yet embody theinvention as defined by the claims herein, and I do not therefore limitmyself to the detailed construction herein illustrated and described.

The die in the cylinder as shown herein is formed directly in thematerial of the cylinder, but the dies may be differently constructedand provided with recesses for the cartridge shells if desired.

I claim 1. A chute arranged to receive tubes and having an opening inits wall located to register with the openings in successive tubes asthey are fed along the chute, and means for operating through saidopening to attach a member to a tube while located in said chute.

2. A chute arranged to receive tubes and having a plural number ofopenings each arranged to register with the openings in successive tubesas they are fed along the chute, and members movable through saidopenings to operate upon a tube as it comes into registering positionwith each of said openings and while located in said chute.

3. A chute arranged to receive tubes and having openings arranged toregister with openings in successive tubes that are fed along the chute,a wad-inserting-plunger and a capplacingplunger operating through theopenings upon tubes while located in the chute, means for supplying wadsand caps to said members, and means for operating said members.

4. A chute arranged to receive tubes and having openings arranged toregister with openings in successive tubes that are fed along the chute,a wad-inserting-plunger and a capplacing-plunger located to operatethrough said openings upon tubes while located in said chute, means forsupplying wads and means for supplying caps to said members, means foroperating said plungers, and means for removing the tubes from saidchute.

5. A chute arranged to receive a pile of tubes horizontally disposedtherein, and said chute having openings each arranged to register withan opening in a tube in said pile, a wad-inserting-plunger, acap-placing plunger, and a headingplunger simultaneously operating eachthrough an opening in the chute upon a tube therein, the heading plungerremoving the bottom tube from the pile, and means for operating theplunger-s.

6. Means for supporting a tube, a wadreceiver movably mounted withrespect to said supporting means and provided with means to reduce atube, and means for inserting a wad into a tube from said receiver andfor moving the receiver to reduce the end of the tube.

7. Means for supporting a tube, a wad receiver and reducing plug movablymounted with respect to said supporting means, means for supplying wadsto said receiver, a wad-inserting-plunger positioned to operate throughsaid plug to place a wad in the tube and arranged to operate said plugto reduce the end of the tube, and means for operating said plunger.

8. A chute arranged to receive a pile of tubes horizontally disposedtherein and having openings located to register with openings throughsaid tubes, a wad-receiver and reducing plug movably located in one ofsaid openings, said plug having a central opening therethrough, meansfor supplying wads to said receiver, a wad-inserting plunger positionedto pass into the opening in the plug to remove a wad therefrom andarranged to move to reduce the end of the tube, means for operating saidplunger, and means for removing the tubes from the chute.

9. A support for a tube, a wad-receiver and reducing plug movablymounted with respect to said support, said plug having an openinglengthwise therethrough with a flaring mouth, a wad inserting plungermounted to reciprocate in line with the opening in the plug and having ashoulder to engage said plug to move it after the wad has been removedtherefrom, means for locking the plug against movement, means forunlocking said locking means, and means for operating the plunger.

10. A holder for a tube, a wad-receiver and reducing-plug movablymounted with respect to said support, means for locking said plugagainst movement, a plunger adapted to insert a wad in said tube, andmeans for unlocking said plug and for moving it from the tube.

11. A support for a tube, a wad-receiver and reducing-plug movablymounted with respect to said support,a reciprocating slide, a lock tohold said plug against movement, a plunger secured to the slide in linewith the opening in the plug and having a shoulder to engage the end ofthe plug to operatively move it, and a cam secured to said slide torelease said lock just before the engagement of said shoulder with thereducing plug.

12. A chute arranged to receive tubes and having an opening through itswall, and means acting through said opening to perform an operation uponeach tube as they are successively placed in position with respect tosaid opening and while they are located in said chute.

13. A, chute arranged to receive tubes, a plural number of devicesarranged to operate simultaneonsly through an opening in the wall of thechute and upon successive tubes they are fed along the chute, saidoperations taking place while the tubes are located and held within thechute, and means for operating said devices.

14. A chute arranged to receive a. number of tubes, said chute having anumber of openings arranged to register with the openings in the tubesthat are fed along said chute, means for simultaneously performingcertain operations upon said tubes as they are successively locatedopposite said openings and while held in said chute, a cylinder locatedto receive the tubes from said chute, means for moving the tubes fromthe chute to said cylinder, means for operating upon the tubes in saidcylinder, and means for imparting step by step movement to saidcylinder.

15. A chute arranged to receive tubes and having openings disposed toregister with openings in the tubes that are fed along the chute, aslide, means for operating the slide, a number of plungers secured tothe slide and arranged to simultaneously operate upon the tubes whileheld in said chute, one of said plungers being arranged to remove a tubefrom the chute and insert it in a cylinder and operate upon it in saidcylinder, the cylinder positioned to receive said tubes, and means forimparting a step by step movement to said cylinder.

16. A chute arranged to receive a number of tubes and having openingsdisposed to register with openings in the tubes that are fed along thechute, a cylinder rotatably mounted to receive tubes from said chute, aslide, a number of plungers mounted upon the slide to simultaneouslyoperate upon a plural number of tubes in said chute and upon a pluralnumber in said cylinder, one of said plungers being arranged to removethe tubes from the chute to the cylinder, means for operating the slide,and means for imparting step by step movement to said cylinder.

17. A chute arranged to receive tubes and having openings disposed inline with openings in the tubes that are fed along the chute, a cylinderhaving recesses to receive tubes from said chute, said cylinder beingslidable longitudinally to receive said tubes and then to be moved awayfrom the chute, said cylinder also being rotatably mounted, means foroperating the cylinder, members for operating upon the tubes whilelocated in said chute, and means for operating said members.

18. A chute arranged to receive tubes, a holder movably mounted withrespect to said chute to engage tubes therein and hold them in positionalining with openings in the side of the chute, means for operating uponsaid tubes through said openings while held in said chute, and means foroperating said positioning means.

19. A chute arranged to receive tubes that are moved along said chute, aholder movably mounted and having recesses to engage a plural number oftubes in said chute and hold them in registering position with respectto openings formed in the wall of the chute, means for operating saidpositioning means, and means for operating through said openings uponthe tubes while held in said chute.

20. A chute arranged to receive tubes and having a plural number ofopenings arranged to register with the openings in the tubes, awad-receiver and. reducing-plug located opposite one of said openings,means for supplying wads thereto, a capreceiver located opposite anotherof said openings, a slide, means for operating the slide, a Wadinsertingplunger, a cap placing plunger, and a heading-plunger secured to saidslide, the heading-plunger being arranged to reinove tubes from thechute to a cylinder and to form a head thereon, the cylinder to receivesaid tubes, a primer-receiver, a primerinserting-plunger mounted on saidslide to place a primer in the cartridge head in said cylinder, andmeans for operating the cylinder.

21. A chute arranged to receive tubes and having" a slot in its sideWall, a holder mov- 15, ably mounted with respect to said slot andhaving recesses to engage and position tubes in said chute, said holderbeing positioned to enter said slot, means for operating upon saidtubes, and means for operating sai 2o holder.

CHARLES A. BAILEY.

lVit-nesses ARTHUR B. JENKINS, EVA L. STOUGHTON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe "Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). C.

